Student Stress at Pres

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The college process is arguably one of the scariest and most stressful experiences a high school senior must face, but at Presentation, the college mania is only intensified. However, long before the college process begins, Presentation students are thrown into a highly competitive environment that more often than not, they struggle to excel in.

In response to the pressure, many students take more Honors and AP courses, join sports, clubs, non-school organizations, get a job, and get involved in anything else they can think of. The bulkier their resumes become, the more competent students feel compared to their classmates. This same mentality applies when it comes time for seniors to tackle the college process.

But over time, the constant competition at Presentation begins to take its toll on students. Because of the pressure for students to be the best and be involved in as much as possible, they begin to stress that they may not be doing enough. Students lose sleep as they try and finish their homework and miss out on hanging out with friends and family. They have no time to relax and prioritize themselves and their health because they are too focused on their full time efforts of impressing their classmates and colleges.

Additionally, as students begin to focus more and more on the amount of activities they are a part of, their intentions for getting involved become insincere.

According to a senior who asked to remain anonymous, “There are a lot of people who participate in activities just so they can put it on their college applications, but they don’t actually care about what they’re involved in.”

With so much on their plate, many students become overwhelmed by their heavy schedule. In response, they try and tackle all their responsibilities until it begins to weigh down on them, and they are forced to lighten their load. Even then, many students fear that they should be doing more.

So do what you love, not what you think others and colleges will love.